The IAM has reached historic tentative agreements with Hawaiian Airlines for the carrier’s Clerical, Office, Stores, Fleet and Passenger Service, and Maintenance and Related groups.
If ratified by the membership, the five-year agreements will win the best job protections and largest pay raises for both Clerical and Related Agents and Aircraft and GSE Mechanics in the history of Hawaiian Airlines.
“Our proud IAM membership at Hawaiian Airlines has worked tirelessly, especially through these difficult times,” said Richard Johnsen, IAM Chief of Staff to the International President. “This tentative agreement is a testament to their solidarity and the determination of our Negotiating Committees. I am so proud of these Brothers and Sisters for standing strong and demanding the contract they deserve.”
Both agreements increase the number of day trades available for members, raise mandatory overtime pay, and increase pay scales by 2% each year, compounding for the next five years. For part-time workers, the agreements will bring more fairness and expand healthcare options.
“Solidarity is paying off for IAM members at Hawaiian Airlines,” said IAM Transportation Coordinator Edison Fraser. “As the largest and most powerful airline union in North America, the IAM used any and all resources to bring this strong tentative agreement to our membership.”
“Working with our Negotiating Committees has been an absolute honor,” said IAM Airline Coordinator Tom Regan. “We look forward to continuing to share more about these historic agreements and giving the membership their vote on the future for IAM members at Hawaiian Airlines.”
The full tentative agreement will be posted for the membership during the week of January 17 once proofing and edits are complete. A ratification vote will be held on Wednesday, February 16 across the whole system.
Both negotiating committees unanimously endorse the tentative agreements and recommend a “yes” vote.
These contracts cover nearly 1,000 members who work as Aircraft & GSE Mechanics, Inspectors, Line Servicemen, Aircraft Appearance, and Contract Service personnel, as well as more than 1,500 members in Cargo, Central Reservations Control, Crew Scheduling, Guest Services, Ramp, Purchasing, and Records.
This weekend, we honor the life and legacy of an iconic civil rights activist. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an early proponent of voting rights and a tireless advocate for the working class and the oppressed around the world.
I call on you to celebrate the legacy of Dr. King by taking action to secure our right to vote. Please call on your Senators to urge their support to preserve and protect our democracy.
Here’s how you can help:
Send a message to your Senators asking them to end the filibuster and support the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.
Call your Senators using our toll-free hotline at 1-877-607-0785.
The Freedom to Vote Act will usher in much-needed changes to election and campaign-finance laws. The John Lewis Voting Rights Act, named for the late Georgia congressman and civil rights icon, will restore the power of the federal government to oversee state voting laws to prevent discrimination against minority voters.
The IAM shares the same ideals as Dr. King, and we stand together stronger because of it. Let’s continue to live his legacy each and every day.
We have started distributing the $50.00 gift cards this week. We have been focusing on getting as many distributed as possible. To date, we’ve distributed over 2200. We plan to distribute off-shift and offsites next week. Overall, the reception has been extremely positive. Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to hand these out during working hours which has limited our opportunities for distribution. With that in mind, we look forward to completing this task as fast and efficiently as possible. Rest assured, everyone that was a member of Local S6 as of 12/17/21 will receive a gift card. Thank you for all that you do.
The right to vote for who we want to represent us is the foundational cornerstone of our democracy. Our ability to cast our ballot each Election Day is fundamental to our system of government. Yet, in 2021, at least 19 states passed 34 laws restricting access to voting. American democracy is under threat.
Congress has stopped bad election laws before, and they can do it again, if they can get out of their own way.
TAKE ACTION: Tell Your U.S. Senators to Sideline the Filibuster and Protect Our Voting Rights.
Send a message to your Senators asking them to end the filibuster procedure and support the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.
Call your Senators at 1-877-607-0785.
Tell them who you are, where you are from, and urge them to end the filibuster and support the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
The U.S. Senate is considering the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would:
Require early voting in all fifty states
Create a national standard for mail voting
Give Americans a public holiday to vote
Establish clear federal redistricting standards to stop gerrymandered districts
Create automatic voter registrations
“The right to vote is a sacred pillar in our nation’s democracy and is so critically important to the very fabric of what defines the United States of America,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. in a letter to U.S. Senators. “Unfortunately, a steady stream of state lawmakers are threatening our nation’s democracy by enacting measures with the goal of thwarting millions from reaching the ballot box. That’s why the U.S. Congress must act with urgency. Passing the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and Freedom to Vote Act will restore the voting rights to protect the democracy of this great nation.”
Each member of the AFL-CIO Executive Council signed alettercalling on the Senate to reform the filibuster and pass critical voting rights legislation.
Members of the Spanish Leadership Working Group (SLWG) met the week of December 6, 2021 at the William W. Winpisinger Center to review and update the Spanish Language programs class materials and to develop plans for recruitment, communications and advocacy.
“The Leadership programs and staff classes in Spanish offered at the Winpisinger Center open doors and opportunities for IAM members to develop the skills needed to better serve our members and grow our union,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “Especially now, with public perception of labor unions at a historic high, we need to cultivate and develop the talents of our diverse membership to seize this moment.”
“Educating our members in their first language removes a barrier and boosts their confidence,” said Chris Wagoner, Director of the Winpisinger Center. “For over a decade, we have seen graduates of the Spanish Leadership programs distinguish themselves at every level of our union.”
These success stories amongst our Spanish speaker members continues to demonstrate that the avenues to leadership within the Machinists Union are open to all our members and represent an imperative Union value we must support and continue to foster.
From its conception and throughout the years, the Leadership program in Spanish has maintained one of its main principles—inclusivity. The program has been successful because it welcomes all members with different levels of understanding or command of the Spanish Language.
Although the program has thrived in an environment welcoming of Spanish-speaking members that otherwise may feel ostracized or marginalized because of a language barrier, participants are not required to have fluency in Spanish. In reality, many participants in the Liderazgo programs have their own language barriers when it comes to Spanish comprehension. The program simply asks participants to have the desire to engage with our brothers and sisters that may require assistance in their primary language.
The meeting was organized by Luis Silvas, an Education Representative at the Winpisinger Center and the coordinator of Spanish language programs. Please contact Brother Silvas at (301) 373-2860 or at lsilvas@iamaw.org with any questions or special requests regarding the registration of participants into the Spanish Leadership program.
Information for the 2022 Leadership Programs in Spanish is available here. If interested in enrolling, the Leadership registration form can be found here. Enrollment in any Leadership Program in Spanish does not count towards a local lodge’s leadership school allotment, removing another barrier for member participation.
Leadership and Staff programs in Spanish for 2022 are:
Leadership I in Spanish: March 20-25 and August 7-12
Leadership II in Spanish: September 11-16
Advanced Leadership in Spanish: November 6-11
Train the Trainer in Spanish: October 16-21
Organizing I in Spanish: December 11-16
Group members sitting from left to right: Macario Camorlinga, Juan Negron, Joel Ochoa, Javier Almazan. Standing from L to R: Milton Dueña, Cristino Vilorio, Mariaelena Fuentes, Geny Ulloa, Luis Silvas, Adriana Picasso, Jose “Lole” Rodriguez-Baez, Jorge Bonilla, Laura Ewan, Edmundo Osorio, Ines Garcia-Keim and Calixto Tapia.
